Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-17
Banner of Light.

hold Articles Destroyed by Power I'm
seen.
Banner of Light.
Allow me to put on record some facts
for the benefit of your readers, which go
to prove that wonderful effects are con-
tinuously rroduced in different places and
under varying circumstances and condi-
tions by the denizens of the spirit world,
even though in some instances the mind
of the observer docs question the practi-
eel use of them.
Take, for instance, the case of John
Yves ey's family and that of Eliakim
Phelps, father of Prof. Austin Phelps
of Andover, Mass. In the early days of
spiritualism occult manifestations occur
red at DR.. Phelps home at Stratford,
Conn, which set the orthodox world to
considerable and severe thinking, as he
was prominent Congregationalist minis
ter, and the manifestations taking
place in his home Sc emed to many to be
proof positive that they could not be the
works of the "devil," as the dewitt
there be such being as described by the
Evangelical church doctrine-would be
likely to give wide berth to such per-
son as the Rev. +. Phelps, d. d.
But what did Mr.. Phelps think as to
the occurrence in his presence? The fol-
lowing b1lef statement of facts will suf-
flee to show, as recorded on page AS OF
the work entitled Natures Laws in HUI
man Life.
"rhe wonderful manifestations which
occurred at the house OF rev. DR. Phelps
ct STAFFORD, Conn, some years ago,
| Il fnt M N No
public mind, which was embarrassing
and annoying to to the reverend gentle
man and mis- family. One fact is obserr-
able in the history of the manifestations
! there; the doctor was never, so far as we
are aware, charged with imposture in
conf ectiOn with them. Doubtless he
felt, in common with those who have
had to be the victims OF
suspicion, the disagreeable posi-,
| tioQ in which he was
placed, IN consequence of that general
suspicion. He challenged the strictesl
investigation, even to the extent Of Offer
| ing his house and all that it contained
to anyone who could detect natural
cause for the disturbances. He thus
wrote in relation to them: Il have seer
! things in motion more than 1000 times
and in most cases where no visible power
existed by which the motion could be
produced. There have been broker
/ from my windows seventy-one psnes
of glass, more than thirty Of
which | have seen break with my OWE
eyes. l have seen objects, such as
! brushes, tumblers, candlesticks, snuffers
e.c which knew but few minutes be-
fore to- be at rest, fly against the glass
land dash it to pieces, when it was utterly
! impossible, from the direction in which
| they moved, that any visible power should
have caused the motion. AS to the reality
of these facts, they can He proved by ties
| timony hundred-fo.d greater than is or
dinarily required in our courts Of justice
in cases of life and DEATH"
Occurrences of similar nature. though
| not attended with such severe pecuniary
loss, are recorded in the same WORT
! pages l42, IA, etc, q.v.) showing ths
activity of some persistent and intelli-
gent though unseen force working its will
concerning the different persons anC
premises in question.
Phenomena of like character are now
in process of presentation-hsving con
tinued for several weeks pest-in pri-
J
consists of seven members, four of whom
are adults. None of them have beer
identified with spiritualism, and in obeGi-
enCe to their wish to avoid publicity re-
refrain from giving either name or ad
dress, but will chronicle, with their per
mission, some OF the strange proceedings
already witnessed at their home:
Some fifty articles (more or less) have
already been destroyed by power
unseen, which does its work either by
tearing forcibly or cutting with 3 sharp
instrument $50 the result appeurs)
These articles consist ofFaworked cards,
| dolls dresses and hair, aprons, table
covers, childreD's dresses, which were
so cut while in bureau drawers, etc. As
one instance of intelligent design on the
part of The destroying agent may be
cited the treatment accorded one of the
table covers which had large number of
I taSselS on It's EDGES. All Of these orna-
ments were cut or pulled out and piled
under the table.
| myself have seen recently a large
bureau drawer filled with articles so in
jured at this dwelling, and the collection
only approXimGted tue sum total of those
damaged which were then in the house.
The members Of the family have for
weeks watchtully and diligently searched
for some explanatory cause fitted to the
interior evidence of the case-such as
whether this mysterious destruction is
not wrought by some one in the house,
when in an unconscious or somnambulis-
tic state, or by some one who is not
member of the family of resident
in the house, but might do the work
from some hidden motive, etc.-but all
their efforts have failed to detect the first